Cooperative Extension University of Wisconsin-Extension
National Extension Water Outreach Education
Skip Navigation 
WATER EDUCATION TOPICS
Best Education
    Practices, BEPs
Use BEPs
Educational
    Resources
Professional
    Development
Other Resources
WATER MANAGEMENT TOPICS & ISSUES
Home » 
Changing Public Behavior  

Educator Self-Study Module

Step 7. Select intervention technique(s)

A continuum of choices

Deciding whether to focus on a short-term, specific-behavior change or something more permanent requires that you integrate an understanding about how people learn and change into your thinking about what you want to do. There is no one right answer, but a continuum of choices (Figure 2). Outreach or education techniques can be grouped according to where they fit in a continuum of how people learn and change. [Background: Potential environmentally significant behaviors; Background: Best Education Practices]

The continuum diagrams a contrast between a content emphasis and a process emphasis. Learning theory suggests that a process emphasis is more effective than a content emphasis in the long term, but sometimes content is what’s missing. Another way to look at the continuum is to decide who will be in charge. Will the outreach intervention or its sub-activities be controlled by a leader or managed by participants? Either is appropriate depending on what you need to do, but a learner-centered/ participant-managed approach is more likely to lead to a sustainable change.

To build motivation and skills among your audience, you can also select an intervention technique by considering how it contributes to stages of empowerment. Does it matter if your audience participates in a process and if so at what level – consultative, collaborative, or full responsibility? The more engaged your audience is, the more likely the activity will lead to a sustainable result. Each level of empowerment can address one or more purposes as suggested by the subtopics in the continuum in Figure 2.

Keep in mind that the significance of each category is somewhat flexible. The choice of content could be determined by a participant-managed group, for example. Or the leader in a leader-centered approach could be one of the participants. Before selecting one or more techniques, clarify your outreach goal in terms of its potential impact on your target audience and related individuals. Then use the continuum to check your selection of one or more outreach techniques to consider how they will help achieve your proposed short and long term goals.

The continuum should be used only to help inform the selection of an outreach technique. Information about the audience combined with expert and participant advice serve as the primary foundation for outreach planning.

Figure 2. From informing to transforming: An outreach continuum

CONTINUUM OF EMPOWERMENT


Leader-centered/Researcher managed

Learner-centered/Participant managed
  • leader/researcher active

  • leader/researcher facilitates
  • learner/participant passive

  • learner/participant active

Content emphasis

Process emphasis

Continuum of choices diagram

Nonparticipation

Consultative role

Collaborative role

Citizen power

Leader:

Leader:

Leader/Participants:

Participants:
  • Manages initiative
  • Builds understanding
  • Delegate power
  • Manage initiative
  • Conveys information
  • Consults
  • Support a partnership
  • Engage in problem-solving

  • Communicates
  • Facilitate skill practice and application by participants

OUTREACH TECHNIQUES

Advertisements

Agents of diffusion (e.g. trade associations)

Displays

Information delivery (by mail, media, brochures, lecture, etc.)

Market forces response

Product label information

Prompts (e.g. point of purchase information)

Regulation

Teaching techniques: exposition

Audience assessment

Camps

Delphi method

Events

Focus groups

Interactive communication

Interviews

Leadership training

Meetings

Observations

Social marketing communication campaign

Surveys

Teaching techniques: discussion

Teaching techniques: demonstrations

Tours

Training/Workshops

Awards

Certificate of Accomplishment

Contests

Facilitation for individual learning

Facilitation for group planning

Gathering data

Incentives

Monitoring data

Participatory rural appraisal techniques:

  • group dynamics
  • sampling
  • interviewing
  • visualization

Teaching techniques: guided discovery

Participatory action research

Peer to peer communication

Service projects

Strategic planning

Teaching techniques: inquiry

References for the continuum:

Figure 2, the outreach continuum, was developed by referencing several resources including:

The National Extension Water Outreach Web site

Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. JAIP 35:4, pp 216-224.

Gonsalves, J., T. Becker, A. Braun, D. Campilan, H. De Chavez, E. Fajber, M. Kapiriri, J. Rivaca-Caminade & R. Vernooy (Eds). (2005). Participatory Research and Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management: A Sourcebook. Volume 1: Understanding Participatory Research and Development. International Potato Center-Users' Perspectives With Agricultural Research and Development, Laguna, Philippines and International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.

Monroe, M., E. Andrews, K. Biedenweg. 2007 (approved for publication). A Framework for Environmental Education Strategies. Applied Environmental Education and Communication.

Monitor and evaluate

Back to Step 7

Choosing Effective Outreach Techniques

STEPS

Introduction

1. Describe the environmental concern or opportunity.

2. Identify preliminary target audience(s).

3. Determine specific actions citizens need to take to accomplish your management goal.

4. Collect audience information relevant to the environmental practices and specific behaviors

5. Assess potential for adoption of single behaviors and the environmental practice.

6. Select single behaviors for intervention focus.

7. Select intervention technique(s).